John Calipari meets with NBPA, suggests combine that would change one-and-done era

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats in the semifinals of the South regional of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Philips Arena.(Photo: Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports)

Kentucky coach John Calipari met with members of the National Basketball Players Association on Friday in his continued pursuit for providing teenagers with the proper tools for determining whether they're ready for the NBA.

He passionately pitched a combine that would allow high school juniors to prepare for a potential jump to the NBA, and also said agents should be allowed to work with high schoolers in order to gauge their NBA stock.

"The players and the families need to know. Here are the ones who should be thinking about the NBA and here are the ones who should not," Calipari said, via the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. "That's why you need a combine."

Calipari's proposals, of course, would figuratively put an end to the one-and-done era that has benefited his Kentucky teams greatly since he took over in Lexington. He previously pitched the combine idea in March during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.

Calipari said players such as former Syracuse commit Darius Bazley need more help if they choose to play in the NBA's G League directly out of high school. The Hall of Fame coach suggested providing college education funds to high school players who choose to play in the G League.

"There are unintended consequences here for these kids and their families," Calipari told the Star-Telegram. "Don't encourage 8th-, 9th- and 10th-graders to forgo education just to go to the G League. ... What do we do if they are not academically ready at all, because they didn't plan on it? Who wants to take care of those thousands of kids whose family, many times, are dealing with generational poverty and their chance was maybe to get him an education?"